A Lone Wolf's Wish
by DarkGreiga
Summary: It was her decision to come with him, but she was the one to push him away because she cared. It was half a year after they reunited the two worlds and started a new journey, just the two of them along with Noishe. Sheena's past and her village's traditions led her to be the lone wolf she used to be, but her wishes remained strong when she had a talk with Lloyd.


Originally I was going to keep this story AO3 exclusive, until I saw how this site is also lacking some Shelloyd stories that I decided to post here too. Enjoy!

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_**A Lone Wolf's Wish**_

Fire was burning the logs of wood in the middle of a small camp. It was in the middle of the night outside, but the warmth of the small campfire was enough to keep the female ninja of Mizuho from feeling the cold wind of the night. The light from the fire shed some light on her surrounding area, as well as the brown-haired swordsman who was lying down next to her and his faithful pet curling up next to him.

A small smile formed on her face as she looked at her traveling partner. A long journey like the one they were doing was nothing to her as she was used to traveling a lot during her missions. For her partner, Lloyd, the exhaustion from walking all day while collecting Exspheres was getting into him. He was curled up next to her, sleeping through the night with a peaceful look on his face.

She wanted to reach out and touch his face, but she was being too shy and she was afraid of waking him up in the middle of an awkward position. Even after traveling together for half a year, she would assume that Lloyd still saw her as just the tough girl Sheena, a future chief of Mizuho, and a great friend of his. She wanted to be closer to him, but she wasn't completely ready to take down her tough exterior. After all, she was still afraid of being left on her own again from the differences of their world.

Lloyd had lived a bright life despite not knowing his real parents until he started his journey. He had lived a normal life, a normal childhood, and having a normal school life with his best friends, Genis and Colette. He had a loving dwarven father from whom he got his crafting skis from. He had Raine as a caring but strict teacher. It was a bright life he had grown up in.

Sheena, on the other hand, had to live in hiding. She had to go through strict training every day she was in the village. When she wasn't training in the village, she would be going on dangerous underworld missions. Either being as an undercover guard or going as far as assassinating someone, it was her job and she had to do it in order to live. Living in hiding and with underworld-related jobs was the dark life she had been living. As if it wasn't bad enough, her being the future chief meant that her life would be more controlled for the sake of Mizuho's future.

Sheena let out a sigh as she hugged her legs closer to her chest without shifting her eyes away from Lloyd's sleeping figure. She had told the swordsman how she had a dark past, though Lloyd had accepted her with his usual grin. She was sort of relieved to hear it, though the fear of being left alone because of that reason wasn't completely gone.

Sheena was used to Lloyd's presence day and night since they started their journey with their friends before. That same journey was what gave her true friends that she always wanted other than Corrine. At the same time and without her expecting it, she also found someone she fell in love with even if that someone was still too dense to notice.

Even if they did get together, the concern in her heart grew as she looked at her hands. Mizuho's tradition wouldn't make things easy for them and especially for Lloyd. Other than that, there was also the case of her dark past of being around death more than most people. A peaceful mind and life had never been truly in her grasp.

Sheena's hands trembled a bit as she imagined the blood of her victims in her hands. She had come to appreciate all lives in the world thanks to Lloyd, but it didn't erase the fact that those hands had tried to take other people's lives in the past. She had her hesitation, but she still hurt people in the end even if she could never bring herself to take a life. The same hesitation applied to her as she went after Colette to save her world, but it was her hesitation that brought up the truth of the world. Even so, she had tried to do something to one of Lloyd's best friends that wouldn't be so easily forgiven.

Thinking through her worries wasn't going to solve anything or make anything better. The pressure of those thoughts was making her eyelids go heavy as she slowly closed her eyes, but jerked herself awake while reminding herself that it was her turn for the night watch. She soon gave into her sleepiness as she closed her eyes once more, only to be interrupted by a sudden tap on her shoulder.

Sheena's hands reached out for her magic seals as she stood up, but the sight of her surprised and terrified companion behind her erased the tension on her shoulders, "L-Lloyd?"

"S-Sorry!" Lloyd apologized as he put his hands in front of him defensively, "Did I wake you?"

The ninja quickly put away her magic seals, "N-No, I... uh..." she let out a defeated sigh, "Sorry, it's my turn to keep watch for the night. I'll try and keep myself awake until it's your shift."

"Sheena," the ninja turned in response to his call, though her eyes told him that either she was tired or her thoughts were elsewhere, "Should I take over early? You look like you've been zoning out a lot for the past few days. Or I guess... since we went past Luin?"

Luin. It was the name of the formerly destroyed city and the city in Sylvarant that had temporarily become her home when she was on that mission. It was also the first time she had joined Lloyd's group to avenge the fallen victims of Luin and it was her only reason to team up. After all, her target was also part of the group she joined and that she would fight fulfill her mission once she had defeated the attacking Desians.

Her early encounters with them left a bitter taste in her mouth as she was badly injured to fight them. As if it wasn't bad enough, she was pitied by them as she got her injuries healed by them. On the bright side, she could've not survived if it wasn't for their help and there was little she could do on her own. At least, she had her rare lucky events that she met and traveled with them. After all, she found something, or someone, she had never expected.

"What is it?" Sheena was still stuck in her own thoughts as she didn't notice that Lloyd was watching her closely, "Are you feeling sick? Did you catch a cold after falling into the river in-"

"N-No!" the ninja snapped with a blush on her face, "And that was just because I stepped on the broken..." when she realized that it was her bad luck combined with her clumsiness working on her once more, she stopped and turned away in embarrassment, "N-Never mind..."

Lloyd let out a small laugh, "I guess you're not lucky for stepping on the broken side of the bridge. I guess with everyone being busy with Palmacosta's reconstruction, fixing a small broken bridge isn't a priority."

"M-Maybe..." Sheena replied nervously. It was originally a small damage on the bridge, until her bad luck with holes made the damage bigger. She wasn't happy at all, knowing that fact.

The ninja recalled the bridge event to be one of her most embarrassing moments. She was walking ahead with a mixed feeling of happy and embarrassment when Lloyd commented on her statue in front of the weapon shop. When she stepped on the bridge, her embarrassment doubled as the wooden board she was standing on suddenly cracked and sent her into the water below. She had to avoid the gazes on her as Lloyd helped her up to the safer part of the bridge. While the people didn't mind about the mess she caused, Lloyd decided that they would stay another night in Luin so that he could help in fixing the bridge.

"Don't worry about it," Sheena turned to look at the swordsman in confusion as he looked at him with his usual grin, "I don't mind helping them out. After all, they let us stay another night for free with extra dinner!"

Food would always be a first priority in his mind, not that it surprised Sheena in any way after knowing him for a while. Even with being a glutton, Lloyd was helpful to anyone and even towards people he never even met. His kindness could've come out of instinct, but it was something she admired. The problem was that she wasn't being certain that her acceptance was also out of instinct or a sincere act.

"Lloyd... can I ask you something?" Sheena nervously spoke up.

"Huh?" Lloyd turned to look at the nervous ninja, "Sure, what is it?"

"W-Well... it's not that I don't like it or anything..." she started, "Why did you decide to let me come along?" when she gathered enough courage to look at him, Lloyd gave her a questioning look, "I mean... I know that Colette is very close to you and Genis is your best friend and then Raine is mature enough that she can help taking care of you-"

"Ah, right," a sudden realization hit him as he gave her his usual grin, "I never told you about them when we left right? I'm happy if everyone can come along with us, but they have their own reasons for not coming when I asked them."

She wasn't expecting it, though she could feel a bit of disappointment that Lloyd wasn't planning on the journey just for the two of them, if she had to give in to her selfish desires, "Even Colette?"

Lloyd gave her a nod, "She wants to see the world, yeah, but for now she wants to take care of the stray dogs we found during our journey."

A smile formed on her lips, "That sounds like her..." the smile soon disappeared from her face, "But... are sure you're okay with just me? I mean, we may think alike, but we live our lives very differently. Your life... is brighter than mine..."

"Sheena," his only response was to call out her name, which she responded by turning to look at him, "Tell me, why do you want to come with me? Shouldn't you start doing your chief duty things back in Mizuho?"

"I know, but I..." the words was stuck in her throat for a moment as she recalled her proposal to join in the first place. She was trying to hide the red color on her face, though the burning campfire had already been doing a good job of doing it for her, "I... I-I want to be with you..."

It was Lloyd's turn to be embarrassed, despite already having that conversation months before. He nervously put his hand on the back of his hand as he thought of something else he would say to her, "But... I kinda feel bad taking you out of the village though... When we went there before really starting our journey, everyone seemed so busy that they even asked me to help out. I'm not even from Mizuho-"

"Traditions," Sheena had cut him off, "It's a tradition in Mizuho that men go to work, either in the fields or as ninjas, while the women stay home to take care of their family. I think..."

The swordsman caught the hesitation in her voice, "You think...?"

She nervously shook her head, "N-No, never mind."

The words 'couple' and 'family' came into Sheena's mind as she recalled how Lloyd was dragged all around Mizuho with labor work. She had already been gone for a few days to pick up Lloyd and start their journey to collect the Exspheres, but her companion had to suggest going back to Mizuho first. She would assume that Lloyd was going to ask for Mizuho's information network to find out the number of Exspheres and their locations. It turned out that he was actually asking the chief for permission to take her out of the village, which got misunderstood as a marriage proposal for some reason.

They weren't officially a couple, especially from Lloyd's perspective, though the big misunderstanding led to the other women in the village asking her about their marriage date. Even the chief, her own adoptive grandfather, who knew better about what was going on, had to ask her if she planned to have an heir as her successor in the future.

"Hey, Sheena?" a sudden call from the swordsman had broken the ninja's train of thoughts, "When this journey is over, how about if I stay over at Mizuho for a while?"

"Huh?" she wasn't expecting that kind of proposal, "I don't mind you staying, but why? Shouldn't Dirk be worried about you?"

"Dad will be fine once I told him," Lloyd's hand found itself stroking Noishe's fur as the creature continued sleeping next to him, "Besides, I think the people of Mizuho needs more people to work with them, traditions or not."

He wasn't paying attention to the unnatural amount of work labor he was given. Sheena had found him almost passed out a few times from working in the fields all day long. None of the villagers had spent that much time in the fields, especially not alone like Lloyd's case. It was almost like the villagers were purposely trying to work him to the bone for reasons she didn't want to think about. She needed to keep Lloyd out of the village until she cleared up the big understanding with the others.

"But if working all day means you're going to make me something good, I don't mind!" Lloyd had his usual grin on his face, "Your pineapple curry is especially the best!"

"T-Thanks..." Sheena put her face on her legs in embarrassment as she hugged herself closer, "I... I've never cooked for anyone but myself before and my recipes are all from my personal tastes after experimenting with the flavor so... I'm k-kind of glad that you liked it..."

There was another moment of silence between them, which Lloyd had found unusual as his traveling partner was usually talkative. From what he could see on her face, her eyes told him that her mind was somewhere else.

"Sheena...?" his voice was soft as he was trying not to surprise her, "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just..." the ninja shifted her attention away from him and looked at the ground instead, "I've been thinking, about how different it was then before I met you and the others. I told you before that I wasn't accepted in Mizuho after I made my first pact with Corrine and there's that... accident..."

Lloyd gave her a nod, "Yeah, I remember that. But I guess the people of Mizuho have started to think about you better when we went there before."

"Yes," she nodded in response as a smile formed on her lips, "I truly felt like I belonged there, even after living there for my whole life," Sheena turned to look at Lloyd with a warm smile, "But the first time I really felt accepted was when you accepted me into your team, even if we were supposed to be enemies. Thank you for that, Lloyd."

He wasn't expecting to receive a thanks from her, leading to him being embarrassed, "Y-Yeah, I guess..." his stammering response made her chuckle, "I guess... you're feeling better now?"

"Huh?" Sheena looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"You looked like you had something in your mind," Lloyd responded in worry, "Or are you tired? I can take over your shift early if you want."

He would always something surprising in him, despite lacking in the brains department. He was also too dense to notice her true feelings, though he was quick enough to notice when someone wasn't acting like themselves. Her talkative nature, after all, had given her away as she was stuck in her own world. It wasn't like her to keep things bottled up inside and especially not from him.

Sheena took out the bell she had as a memento of her old friend, which Lloyd had noticed, "Isn't that Corrine's bell?"

The ninja gave him a nod, "Yeah," she held the bell in her hand, giving out small ringing sounds as her hand moved around, "I remember Corrine telling me that he would always be with me, when he saw the villagers keeping themselves away from me. He was the only friend I had when people wouldn't bother with me, but lately... I've kind of forgotten that he used to be with me..."

She was filled with the sense of guilt and Lloyd couldn't think of anything to say to her as he looked at her in worry, "Sheena..."

"I guess... for a while, I've forgotten how it feels to be alone," the ninja continued to stare at the bells, "But when I think back to the horrible things I did before I met you all, I feel like I stand out like a sore thumb. You live in the world of light and I live in the world of darkness, where I can't reach out to you. When I think about how different we are, I feel like I'm on my own again. You've saved many lives, but I've-"

"You haven't killed anyone," the swordsman's firm tone had caught her attention, "The villagers I met told me that you had always failed on your assassination missions."

"Wrong! I did-"

"It was just an accident!" Sheena was surprised to hear Lloyd raising his voice, competing with her as she insisted on her own sins while he tried erasing them away, "I know it must be hard on people like Kuchinawa and Orochi for losing their family over the incident, but it's gonna be harder on you when you were just a kid back then. You know that you didn't mean to get them killed."

Sheena was at a loss for words that she had lowered her head nervously, holding the bell tightly, "I know..."

There was a short pause as Lloyd took a deep breath to calm himself down, "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell like that... but..." the swordsman walked in front of her and put his hands over her shoulders, "You're not a killer. I know that you don't want to kill anyone," he gave her a warm smile as she looked up at him with pained eyes, "Your kind eyes say so. You're you, you're the kind-hearted and gentle Sheena I've always known."

She could never understand him at all. He was dense and slow at many things, yet he could make important decision when he needed to. He was insensitive, but he always knew what to say to make everyone feel better about themselves. To make her feel better about herself.

She was never alone because he had always been with her, but she was afraid of losing him the way she lost Corrine. She wanted to be with him in the first place, but she was also the one to push him away from her. She was the tough girl and lone wolf who tried putting her troubles away from her friends, but he was the only one she was comfortable with to talk about her issues.

Lloyd had shattered her shell and fulfilled her wish of never being left alone anymore.

A smile escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of his hands on her shoulders, "Thank you, Lloyd. I really appreciate it."

Without thinking, Sheena had got up from her spot and put her arms around Lloyd for a hug, which the swordsman responded by awkwardly putting his around her as well. It would be her first time feeling another's warmth and it was the first time she felt she truly wasn't alone.

"Uh... Sheena?" her eyes opened in response to being called. Realizing what she had done, she quickly let go of him and tried hiding the redness on her face, "I-"

"I-I'm going to bed!" the ninja told him quickly as she walked a bit farther before settling on the hard ground.

"O... kay..." the swordsman was looking at her in confusion as she lied down on her side with her back turned to him, "Goodnight, Sheena."

The ninja tried getting some sleep, though her fast beating heart was keeping her awake. It was something she hadn't expected to do, though she had always wished for it for as long as she could remember. His words and actions had reassured her that she would never be the lone wolf anymore, just like what she had always wished for.

Little did she know, her wish had already been granted a few days earlier in Luin.

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"Okay, do you need anything else? I can get you something to eat or-" the inn door was slammed on his face before Lloyd could even finish talking. He let out a sigh before chuckling, "I guess the water was too cold for her that she needed to change soon..."

While waiting for his companion to get changed after the incident earlier that day, Lloyd decided to hang out around the lobby when one of the inn caretakers approached him, "Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?"

"Huh?" he noticed the brown-haired woman behind him, "No, Sheena is my friend and travel companion-"

"She looks lonely," the woman spoke up suddenly, "You should keep her company and make sure she doesn't feel that way."

The swordsman laughed nervously, "Honestly, I'm not good at talking about that kind of stuff."

The woman shook her head, "Just be by her side and never leave her. That should be enough for her."

"I don't plan on leaving her on her own," Lloyd took another look at the closed door, "After all, she's a special friend of mine!"

The woman let out a chuckle, "Is that so?" she started walking away, leaving the swordsman on his own as he looked at the door with a smile on his face, "Good luck with her, Lloyd."

As soon as his name was called, Lloyd could suddenly feel some warmth on his left hand where his Exsphere was, "Huh?" his right hand couldn't feel anything different when touching the Exsphere, though he could clearly remember that he felt that someone familiar was calling him by his name. When he turned to the direction where the woman had gone to, she was nowhere to be seen as if she had just disappeared into thin air, "Who was that...? She feels... very familiar..."

"What are you looking at, Lloyd?" a voice suddenly called out to him, which he responded by turning away and saw that Sheena was already behind him wearing a dry set of clothes, though her hair was still clearly damp.

Lloyd glanced back at the empty space before turning back to her, "Nah, it's probably nothing."

She looked at him with uncertainty in her eyes, though she decided to shrug it off, "Come on, you said that you want to get something to eat before you helping out to fix the bridge."

He gave her a nod as the ninja walked ahead of him. There was a slight hint of annoyance left in her voice, for what reason he still didn't understand, as he was just saying how he preferred the real Sheena instead of her statue by the weapon shop. His reasoning being how he could talk to her but not the statue wasn't making things better either, as it led to her running away to a broken bridge.

Angry or not, he was comfortable with her presence. He wasn't going to let her go for any reason.

"I'm not going to let her be lonely again. I promise."

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Can you take a guess who the mysterious woman is and how she knows about Lloyd?


End file.
